Eat Your Vegetables

By Judith Garfield

Lately I have been trying to eat healthy(er).

This means less white (sugar, flour), more bright (fruits and vegetables). I love eating healthily, but it means I must…wait for it…cook. My husband makes delicious meals; however, healthy is not a big priority for him. Even if a recipe does not include a lot of butter he will add it. This is also a man whose staples include Wonder Bread and peanut butter, and only the kind that Annette Funicello used to sell. He’s a loyal Mouseketeer. And he gets very cranky if his ice cream is without a whip: Dream, Cool or Redi.

When I really feel the need for a flavorful, low-fat vegetarian meal, it’s up to me. So I was very happy my good friend M. came over last week, looked at my hugely overgrown garden and said, “Judy, time to make the ratatouille.” My husband snickered, but could not stop saying the word in his best (i.e.) annoying French accent. For those of you unfamiliar with the word, the phonetic pronunciation is Rat-a-too-ee. Have fun saying it over and over to whoever is pretending not to hear you.

I missed Ratatouille, the animated Disney film about Remy, the rat who wants to be a chef. I heard it was charming, but after living thirty years in Manhattan the last thing I wanted to see in my kitchen was a rat.

This is a dish that lends itself to improvisation, and there are hundreds of recipes you can find. It’s a perfect dish for mid to late summer when tomatoes, eggplant, and squash are in season. It’s a one pot or skillet meal, cooks in less than thirty minutes, and contains not one white ingredient.

Ratatouille

In a skillet, heat olive oil, garlic, and a sliced onion until it is transparent. Add the following diced ingredients:

1 Eggplant

1 yellow squash

a container of sliced mushrooms

1 red pepper

4 tomatoes (fresh if you have them or one 14-ounce can diced)

small jar of pitted calamato olives (drained and cut in half)

Cover and simmer till everything is tender. Season with salt and pepper and lots of oregano. Red pepper flakes if you like it hot. Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.

Voila¢….Gratatouille!

Weed 'em and Eat

By Judith Garfield

Unlike Mary Louise Parker, I have found no lucrative solution to my weed problem.

My weeds are invasive, hardy, and aggressive. They are impossible to tame and they grow like, well, weeds. They continually spoil the beauty of my wild roses and my red brick pathways, giving me no respite from the backbreaking chore of pulling them up.

Many of us have decided to just give up the fight and refer to our weeds as wildflowers. Others have taken to calling them herbs, chopping and sautéing them with copious amounts of garlic and onions. Before you resort to this culinary tactic, I suggest having a copy of “The Handbook of Edible Weeds” by James A. Duke on hand.

I myself have sworn off weeding since my run in with Poison Ivy last summer. I’m reluctant to touch anything remotely weedy. I subtly ignore S. when he remarks the garden needs weeding. I know eventually he’ll tackle the problem without me since I suspect he still feels guilty about my ordeal.

The only weed I will gladly harvest and can readily identify is mint. Mint is wonderful and so useful. Add it to your lemonade, iced tea or just plain water for a refreshing summer thirst quencher. Innovative cooks can easily whip up tasty recipes for mint pesto and chutney. I made a mint pesto type thing that I spread on a sandwich type thing and it was delicious, but I would hesitate to call it a recipe.

Mint can make even the most loveless dish appear impressive. A few mint leaves added to a plate of nude pasta takes it from dreary to cheery without much effort. Your fruit salad will look positively gourmet with a few sprigs of mint on top.

Sprig is one of those words that good cooks like to throw around. Like a pinch of salt or a dash of vanilla. By casually remarking “I always put a few sprigs of mint on my fruit salad” you will sound like quite the clever cook.

As S. likes to tell me, never underestimate the power of a good condi-mint.

Fresh Basil, Tomatoes, and More

By Millicent K. Brody

No matter the size, if you have a sunny patch of land somewhere near your residence or place of business, (even if it’s a windowsill or fire escape), do yourself a favor and grow yourself a few tomato and basil plants. Never mind that there’s not a spot of dirt anywhere...grow your plants in pots.

"Tomatoes can grow anywhere there is a concentration of sun,” says David Williams, a partner in Williams Nursery in Westfield and President-Elect of Gardens of America. As a gardner for 45 of his 47 years, Williams brags that the sale of his tomato plants paid for his college education. He also suggests using fertilizer geared only for vegetables.       

“Fertilize your vegetable plants every 3 or 4 weeks,” he advises. “Remember, the average tomato plant growing in direct sunlight is able to yield about 50 tomatoes.”

I might agree with those statistics, and the fact that tomatoes can grow anywhere...except they’re not able to grow in the fresh soil I put down each year at our house. Alongside our front steps is what some would call a window box. Given the right environment, it could easily produce a bumper crop of tomatoes, peppers, and basil. The problem is, before any of these wondrous plants reach fruition, they became a smorgasbord for our resident bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels, and skunks.     

That is why I’ve started a porch garden. 

    

“To grow tomatoes outdoors, you’ll need a pot with a circumference of at least 12 inches,” continues Williams. “The bigger the pot, the more tomatoes you’re apt to yield. I’d also suggest not using soil that is already in the ground. Get yourselves a couple of bags of potting soil, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

    

If you’re growing tomatoes and basil, add a couple of red and green peppers and look forward to preparing your very own “Garden Pizza”.

    

For starters, pick up a pre-baked pie shell and fresh mozzarella cheese. Slice and lightly sauté red and green peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes in olive oil. Carefully layer the fresh vegetables in the prepared pie shell. Top with your favorite tomato sauce. Thinly slice fresh mozzarella cheese, and, together with basil leaves, alternate as a topping. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 10 or 15 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown.

Basil, like many herbs, is also easy to grow in pots. My fresh basil is busy growing on my windowsill.  

    

“I snip the basil and add it to my sauce, or serve it with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes in a salad,” says Arlene Fine of Morristown.  “I also enjoy preparing this most unusual, refreshing recipe,” she adds. “It calls for fresh peaches, a Vidalia onion, basil leaves, sugar, and balsamic vinegar. 

    

Into a medium-size bowl, slice four ripe peaches. Slice and add a medium-size Vidalia onion. Add a handful of chopped basil leaves (about 4 or 5). Add 1 teaspoon sugar and balsamic vinegar to taste. Let sit for an hour or more. Serve with your favorite poultry recipe. 

    

Perhaps you’d like to share one of your favorite home-grown recipes? Please let me know your favorites.

Happy Growing Season!

Here's a Concept: School Gardens in the Garden State

By Pat Tanner

Grassroots efforts across the state - often led by volunteer parents - have quietly and effectively been planting school gardens, incorporating gardening into elementary school curricula, and working with cafeterias to bring in fresh ingredients from local farms.

This became abundantly clear a few weeks ago when a network of 30 groups - including chefs, parents, teachers, farmers, foodservice providers, and government and nonprofit agencies - came together for the first statewide Farm to School conference.

Among the speakers were individuals who run successful school gardens in Lawrenceville, Margate, and Princeton. By “successful” I mean they get kids enthused not only about growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers but also about preparing them and – most important of all – eating them. Happily.

Dorothy Mullen spoke about her work as a founding member of the Princeton School Garden Co-op. She discussed “getting to yes” on establishing gardens in public schools - a Herculean but attainable task that in involves virtually the entire school community. Her group has posted an impressive 50-page how-to guide at prsk12.nj.us/gardencoop.

The conference was held at The Lawrenceville School where executive chef Gary Giberson has received national recognition for his efforts in bringing farm-fresh foods into dining halls. Giberson demonstrated the fruits of his labors in dramatic fashion by providing the day’s lunch, many of the ingredients for which were locally sourced. Below is one delicious example.

COUSCOUS AND TOMATO SALAD
Gary Giberson, Chef, Lawrenceville School and President, Sustainable Fare LLC.

8 ounces couscous
8 ounces vegetable stock, heated to simmering
1 medium red pepper, seeded and diced small
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced small
1 cup broccoli florets, blanched and chopped finely
1/2 cup red onion, peeled and diced small
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

Mix the hot vegetable stock with the couscous in a medium saucepan and stir. Let set for 10 minutes. While the couscous is still warm mix together the remaining ingredients and toss. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Serves 4 to 6.

Book Beat: Delightfully Unusual Fruits & Vegetables

By Kimberly Baldwin

Eminently beautiful fruits and vegetables are profiled in the charming book 75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden by expert gardener and garden designer Jack Staub. Discover produce you'll likely not see in your supermarket, including Asparagus Bean (a tropical cousin to the black-eyed pea), Green Zebra Tomato (a handsome yellow, amber, and deep green striped variety), Turkish Orange Eggplant (an ornamental heirloom), and many more. Staub seeks not only to infuse our backyard gardens with color and variety, but to enlighten and amuse with amiable text, surprising history, scraps of unexpected lore, and tidbits of culinary insight.

His stunning follow up, 75 Remarkable Fruits for Your Garden, provides a rich history of each plant, thoughts and tips on growing it, and ends with a simple recipe for serving up these mouth-watering fruits in salads, side dishes, breads, and desserts. Grab these books now -- it's the perfect time to start thinking about your summer garden!